Potato Gnocchi Basic Recipe:
Wash about 2 lb. baking potatoes and cook in salted water (without 
peeimg). It is best to start with cold water. The potatoes should all be about 
the same size. The cooking time will depend on the type and size of the 
potatoes. A of thumb to check when they are ready is to stick a fork into 
one or two potatoes and if it enters easily the potatoes are ready. When the 
potatoes are cooked, dram, peel and mash them through a potato ricer, 
(do not use a food milk, it will make a sticky puree impossible to work with) 
and place on a pastly board or a marble surface. Should the resulting puree 
be too watery, put it back over the stove over moderate heat and let 
it dry well, stirring constantly.
It is important to have a dry puree, otherwise it will be necessary to add too
much flour, which will result in heavy, doughy gnocchi. Add a small amount 
of salt and as much white flour as necessary to have a soft dough that does
not stick to your fingers. It is not necessary to mix the dough for a long 
time; it is sufficient just to blend the ingredients. Cut a piece of the dough 
and, eating your hands with flour, roil the dough into a long cylinder about 
the thickness of your index finger. Then cut the cylinder in pieces about 1 inch
long. By pressing with the tip of the finger against the board, sweep the 
dough lengthwise, toward you. This will cause each piece to curl up, taking 
the shape of a little shell. You may also use other utensils for this purpose 
such as the back of a cheese grater. 
In this case, the gnocchi will be ridged and curled. It is not absolutely 
necessary to give it one shape; they may be simply cut into nuggets of any 
desired size. Handling the gnocchi as little as possible, quickly continue this 
operation until all the dough is used. Place the finished gnocchi in a flat pan 
sprinkled with flour without putting one on top of the other. Cook as soon 
as possible. A variation to this basic method is to add one or two eggs to 
the potatoes and flour dough. The eggs will make the mix harder, more 
consistent. In some cases this is a desired result especially if large amounts 
have to be prepared or if they have to be made long before the final cooking.
In this case the gnocchi will not be as soft, they will have more of a bite.

How to Cook Gnocchi
Gnocchi should not be prepared too far in advance before cooking.To cook 
gnocchi it is preferable to use a large pot with a wide bottom, so that the 
heat underneath can spread well, allowing the water to return quickly to 
the boiling point again after the gnocchi have been added. This is 
important because, if allowed to stay in the water for too long, the gnocchi
can break up and absorb too much water. Add the gnocchi to the boiling 
water all at once and stir gently. Let cook until the gnocchi float to the top
 (a few minutes are enough), then lift them out of the water with skimmer
 (do not use a colander). Place in a preheated bowl. Toss with the desired
 sauce, add parmigiano, if necessary, and serve immediately.

Sauces for Gnocchi
They are many sauces for gnocchi, and they valy from region to region. 
You may use melted butter flavored with sage, tomato sauce, mushroom
sauce, bolognese ragù, pesto, or one of a variety of meatbased sauces 
such as lamb, veal, beef or pork, as well as the juice resulting from 
roasting or braising beef or with Gorgonzola, Fontina, etc. Sprinkling the 
gnocchi with grated Parmigiano is a must, except for a preparation with 
cheese, regardless to the type of the sauce used.